Welcome To Norway

Destinations, International — By ATV Mag on March 28, 2006 at 12:00 pm

The only public riding areas are in the far north, and to get there you need to fly two hours from the capital, Oslo. In the winter, the sun never rises above the horizon. That’s right, 24 hours of darkness for months. In the summer, the mosquitoes will eat you alive.
Where do ATV riders in southern Norway go to ride? Unless you know a landowner who’s friendly to ATVs, you’re out of luck. We didn’t know such a person, but our friend Tom Hellesvik, powersports marketing manager for Yamaha Motor Scandinavia, does and our prospects of off-roading in Norway were looking bright.
Though winters are cold and the nights are long in Norway, summers in the southern portion can be gorgeous. In fact, Europe was experiencing a heat wave when we arrived in Oslo, and temperatures were in the 80s. Plus, the days were long and it was still twilight at around midnight. Just three or four hours later, it was starting to get light out. How about that for a full day of riding.
Bjorn Simensen’s 12,000-acre parcel of land is used for Yamaha press intros, ATV testing, ATV rider training and corporate events not connected with ATVs. We drove about a half hour north of Oslo to a gas station where we met Hellesvik, and followed him another hour to an area way out in the sticks called Gaasvig. Simensen’s shed houses a couple of dozen Yamaha Grizzlies and Kodiaks. Despite the threat of rain, we suited up and rode the trails for a few hours before lunch.
The terrain is surprisingly similar to the southern U.S. The trails are not quite as tight but some were challenging. We encountered thick mud, water crossings, dense forests, steep but short hillclimbs, roots, rocks and off cambers. The riding pace was fast.
I worked up a good appetite and was expecting the usual sandwich-on-the-trail routine, but we rounded a corner and I got a pleasant surprise. On a pristine lake in the middle of nowhere, I spied a deck Simensen had built with tables, a bar area and fire pit. While my friend Lanita canoed around the lake, Simensen fired up a huge wok and cooked traditional Norwegian meat patties and veggies. I washed it all down with a Coke and an extremely angry yellow jacket who ventured inside the can.
During lunch, Hellesvik explained that the total ATV market in Norway is small. It’s less than 3,500 units annually, with 4×4s selling best. Yamaha, the big dog in Norway, gets 25 percent of the market. Despite tight government restrictions and lack of riding areas, ATV sales in 2004 jumped up more than 50 percent compared to the previous year. Yep, it’s hard to keep secret a vehicle that’s as hard working and as much fun as an ATV. Even in Norway.